Well, the promised response. This preamp is the real deal. It is a system altering event! Detailed with , micro, macro dynamics, textures and timbres are right on target. That old story about getting out new cd's to hear them for the first time...but its true.
The soundstage is as deep as the Pacific Ocean, with amazing clarity. I have to tell one favorite story.
I personally love some of the old Capitol Recordings from the late '50's and early '60s, you know, the era, when then engineers hadn't discovered all the "knobs" on the control panel.
Dean Martin's Capitol Years, Disc one cut 13, he is singing live in L. A I think, (even though Vegas was is second home then.) The piano, was still far behind him, to his right, but now it has its own exciting personality; it sounds like an older piano, with the middle keys out of tune slightly. The orchestra, as part of Dean's schtick, comes in FFFF, when F is expected, (that's forte, times four) so incredibly disproportionaltely loud. The trumpets are loud, but (much louder than before) but not harsh or blaring, they hold together harmonically. Joey Bishop's laugh is five feet beyond my right speaker, and ten feet back. THIS PREAMP IS NEUTRAL, NATURAL. Voices aren't artificially large to give it more excitement or a sense of smoothness, they are proportionate to scale. This pre, sounds like the world's best pass through, with invisible interconnects, but is not limited dynamically like the Passives are. Quite the contrary it is a dynamic monster.
One other thing. My VS 4HSE's go flat to below 20 hz, my current room, is alcoved behind the speakers, causing a bass bump. Beyond that every other piece of electronics, sounded, uhhh, blumpy. One note ish.(Ogden Nash look out, I'm gaining on you). This pre takes that single note and makes it full register with full textures. Wonderfully tonal bass, and frankly the best I have heard.
Years ago, I sold CJ, Premier 3's with Eagle 2A Amps, (where is John Ivorson??) with great success, and while disproportionate, seemingly, a 595. amp with a 3K Preamp, but it was great. My feeling here is, that an inexpensive Rotel or like amp, with this pre, could be "MAGIC", it's that good. So if you want a great, GREAT preamp, run to Emmanuel Go and order one. Oh, by the way, the sound stage is blacker than Indian ink. Marvelous, in every way. Plus I haven't even tried better tubes, which is supposed to make it better. That, folks is hard to imagine.
Thanks, if you held in there and read all.
Larry R. Staples